The entire Connor Hellebuyck pursuit had gone relatively dormant this week. That was until the New Jersey Devils stepped it up a notch.
At one point, there were reports that the Winnipeg Jets and the three-time Vezina winner would put everything off until Sunday evening's Heritage Classic.
However, one of the talking points had been that the Jets didn’t want the Hellebuyck situation hanging over the team. Well, it seems that the Devils got the drift. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the Devils stepped up following Thursday night’s 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
The New Jersey Devils are closing in on a deal for Connor Hellebuyck, per sources.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) October 23, 2026
As of this weekend, Winnipeg felt it had terrible offers for the goalie but things seemed to have progressed last night. Believe Jets have been focused on scorers in return.
What seems curious about this report is the timing. Nico Daws was sharp in the game, making 16 saves as the Devils pounded the Ducks.
So, there has to be something there that GM Sunny Mehta thinks is missing. Perhaps it’s just a question of figuring out what could be a missing piece, and, really, the only massive question mark surrounding the Devils is the goaltending situation.
The other side of Kaplan’s report is that the Jets are targeting scorers back. It’s unlikely that Jesper Bratt is going to waive his no-trade clause to head to Winnipeg. Similarly, Timo Meier might not be too keen on leaving New Jersey to head to the Jets.
So, the scorers in question might come down to guys like Dawson Mercer and Arseny Gritsyuk. But that might not be enough to move the needle.
And even if there were a chance that Meier would be willing to leave, there is another hurdle that Devils fans need to pay close attention to.
Devils need to clear enough cap space for Connor Hellebuyck
Unless the Winnipeg Jets are willing to retain money on Connor Hellebuyck for the next three seasons, the Devils will need some major roster surgery to make the math work.
While jettisoning Meier pretty much makes this deal money in, money out, that’s not truly realistic. Perhaps Mehta has a deal in place with the Jets, but needs to work out other transactions to make the money work.
If that’s the case, the final announcement of the deal could be delayed somewhat.
But there’s one thing clear: This rumor has picked up steam unlike anything we’ve seen since news of Hellebuyck’s trade request got out. Regardless of how this turns out, if and when the Devils pull it off, it will be a sign that the organization is serious about competing.
And it will also make Sunny Mehta look like the sort of mastermind the Devils envisioned when the organization hired him earlier this summer.
Add us as a preferred source on Google